Introduction
The last two hundred years showed considerable social and political transformations and one of which is the substantial change in the role of women in the society. While the status of women in the workforce took a gradual transformation, the changes have surely allowed women to enjoy an enormous gain. From gaining employment rights to reducing the gender wage gap, women have come along way in their role in the labor sector since the onset of the industrial revolution. Understanding the historical role of women in the labor market for the past two hundred years provides a better insight of the evolution of their relationship in the labor sector.
New Technologies and its Impact on Women’s Role in the Labor Sector
The industrial revolution and the onset of technological improvements played a significant role in the evolution of women’s participation in the labor market. The introduction of numerous technological innovations in the workplace and at home changed the way people’s way of living. For instance, technology resulted in the more efficient and speedier manner of doing repetitive household chores, thus allowing women to work outside the home.
One historical example of how women’s participation in the labor force was empowered by technology was the growth of the telegraph industry which was first used sometime in 1843. This was an innovation that brought an enormous improvement in the society as it “accelerated the conduct of commerce and politics, journalism and railroading” (Tillotson, 1991, pp. 97). As this technology paved the way for societal, economic and political progress, it also marked a milestone in the role of women as an important member of the labor sector. While women were generally unheard of as railway operators, a large number of them were engaged in commercial telegraphy. For instance, women in Canada were known to be employed as operators during the 1860s, and eventually as operators of large commercial firms a decade later. The participation of women in the telegraph industry was further enhanced by the beginning of the 20th century as telegraphy became an acceptable employment for women. Statistics showed that there were only a few women employed in some parts of Canada, but most offices located in its major cities in the central and eastern part largely engaged the services of women as operators.
However, employment inequality prevailed despite the improvement in women’s role in the telegraph industry. In fact, the opportunity given to women mirrored the unfair treatment between men and women. For instance, it was recounted that apart from a few exceptions, “women Morse operators tended to work in the lower-productivity branches of the industry” (Tillotson, 1991, pp. 98). Men and women possess them same skills, women remained to take less important duties, and it was only during the introduction of non-Morse instruments sometime in WWI that women were given the chance to handle heavy wires.
Nevertheless, despite the high degree of employment gap between men and women, the telegraph industry showcased the ability of the women in terms of performing their tasks. Eventually, the increased need for people to work in the telegraphy called for an opportunity for women to be integrated into the duties that was once restricted to men. As discussed by Tillotson (1991, pp. 100), the complicated technological changes in the early part of the 20th century “actually help clarify the relations of gender and skill”. In Canada, the commercial use of automatic telegraphs paved the way for the employment of more women operators.
The Canadian Working Women after WWI
After World War I, the Canadian women hoped that better opportunities awaits them with the liberalization of women and the introduction of new methods of bureaucratic organizations (Strong-Boag, 1979). There was hope for women during that time because organizations started to realize that employment and promotion should be based on merit, in contrast to the traditional ways where works are “allocated on the basis of the ascribed and inferior status of women” (Strong-Boag, 1979). The modernized capitalism during the 1920s favored a large number of women in the cities as they are given an increased participation in the labor force.
What appeared to be unchanged in the employment of women during the 1920s was that the majority of the working women were single, and they soon drop out of the labor market after marriage. Yet, it was also the time when there was a gradual increase in the number of married women who opted to go back to work. Moreover, it was also observed that whenever there was “scarcity of work for women, the number of married women applying for casual employment was greater than under ordinary conditions” (Strong-Boag, 1979, pp. 133). An advantage for women in Canada after the war was that there was a range of available jobs that are generally suitable for young women. These opportunities allowed them to choose from jobs such as nursing, stenography, retailing and telegraph operating among others. In addition to that, the wide array of jobs for women deterred them from competing for jobs that are deemed appropriate only for men.
The Women’s Movement in Canada
It’s been many decades since the struggle of women in joining the telegraph industry. From the lowly telegraph operators, women have come along way since then. Particularly, women in Canada were empowered by social activism and the women’s movement that endeavor to improve the lives of women from both the non-immigrant and the immigrant group. While it was not an easy task to develop a strong alliance among different women’s group, yet they managed to unite for the mutual benefit of the working class women. As stated by Luxton (2001, pp. 87), the united efforts exemplified by the women were but a logical result of years of “coalition politics in which women in the labor movement and socialist feminist, worked long and hard to forge an alliance with each other..” (Luxton, 2001 pp.87).
Conclusion
The industrial revolution resulted in the change in women’s role in the employment sector. While the transformation is considered gradual and a difficult one, women today have come a long way. The evolution resulted from the introduction of technological innovation that changed the way people do things at home and at work. Moreover, women were given the chance to prove their skills during WWI when there was a deficit in the labor market. Currently, women in Canada enjoy a better treatment and this can be attributed to the women’s movement and years of struggle in proving their worth as capable and skillful workers.
References
Luxton, M. (2001). Feminism as a Class Act: Working-Class Feminism and the Women's
Movement in Canada. Labour / Le Travail, 48, 63-88.
Strong-Boag, V. (1979). The Girl of the New Day: Canadian Working Women in the 1920s. Labour / Le Travail, 4, 131-164.
Tillotson, S. (1991). "We may all soon be 'first-class men'": Gender and skill in Canada's early twentieth century urban telegraph industry. Labour / Le Travail, 27, 97-125.
